How Alaska Celebrates the Summer Solstice

The summer solstice — the longest day of the year — is a genuine event across Alaska, where the payoff for a long winter is a sun that barely sets.

Fairbanks goes biggest

The Interior throws the largest party: the Midnight Sun Festival, a noon-to-midnight downtown street fair, plus the famous Midnight Sun baseball game played with no artificial lights.

Statewide traditions

Up and down the state, towns mark the solstice with festivals, midnight hikes, races, and late-night gatherings — anything to soak up the daylight.

Make the most of it

Wherever you are, the move is the same: stay up, get outside, and enjoy a midnight that looks like late afternoon.

Start with our Midnight Sun Festival guide, and read the midnight baseball game and solstice things to do.